


The Great Rito Race

by Jaceladag



Series: Stories of Revali and Yaki [1]
Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Backstory, Family Drama, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Calamity (Legend of Zelda), Rito Village, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29197197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaceladag/pseuds/Jaceladag
Summary: All his life Revali had been trained for one purpose and one purpose only: to inherit the family business. Yet, Revali wanted to be free and soar across the skies like the Rito warriors he'd  see just out the shop's window. As the entrance examination for the prestigious Rito Sky Patrol approaches, Revali has to find a way of keeping his secret training sessions from his family. If he fails this test, he risks losing his training partner as well as his one and only friend.
Relationships: Revali (Legend of Zelda) & Original Character(s)
Series: Stories of Revali and Yaki [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143614
Kudos: 5





	1. Great Monotony, Great Relief

“Revali, come take over at the counter, I’ll go get lunch!” called out a burgundy Rito woman as a blue Rito youth turned his face to her.

The young man sighed to himself as he finished stocking the shelf and turned to her. “Sure thing, Mom!” he called in kind, rushing to the counter as they traded places. Soon enough a customer arrived, putting her basket on the counter for him to take stock of the items, record them and ask for the payment. He went through the motions of it mechanically, quickly doing multiplications in his head and flipping the wooden pages of the inventory book.

“You’re turning out quite  _ handsome _ , Revali,” she said, faking a cough as she noticed he didn’t make any eye contact. He responded with a sigh as he came to meet her sight. “You got a girlfriend yet? With the festival and all I bet you could convince a nice girl, even if they’re from as far away as Faron, to move in with you.”

“Thanks, Inali,” he simply replied as he went back to his operations, only the slightest bit of eye contact. Yet another regular doing the small talk... “I am not seeing anyone and I have no plans of that just yet.”

“ _ Aw _ , come on,” the customer went on to say, seeking to make eye contact yet again. “I know you take the business seriously, but there’s more to it than just being your mom’s little helper. Maybe that’s just the last step you gotta take before Hylia makes  _ those _ fade away,” she said, pointing to Revali’s red cheek marks.

It was true, he had retained them longer than other Rito his age, but it’s not like everyone had attained their full adult colorations just yet. His friend Yaki still hadn’t... “What would my parents say about you thinking of their death so soon? I haven’t even inherited the shop and you’re already asking me about having someone to carry on its legacy with?”

Inali giggled as she continued searching for Revali’s avoidant gaze. “I’m sure she wants you to have a loving partner and children,” she told him with a smile, which once again Revali retreated from. “When I see you, I still remember that little chick sat in a stool right—”

“That’ll be 325 Rupees,” Revali quickly said, interrupting her wistful remembrance. “Please, the queue is busy, especially this time of the year.”

“Always so avoidant,” the customer said with a sigh. She opened her wallet through its drawstring and handed the required amount. “Good luck with the increased business, and may Hylia give you Her blessing this coming spring!”

“May Hylia give you Her blessing this coming spring as well,” Revali replied as unenthusiastically as he could muster. Revali didn’t need any reminder of what it was like being a kid—he basically relived it every day. The routine of coming in early in the morning, dealing with the monotony for hours and then leave were all he knew. The specifics of what he was doing had changed, sure; with age came more responsibilities than just being tutored in math and reading. Yet, it still felt like the same old thing every single day, even right down to looking wistfully at the sky.

If you were a Hylian, perhaps what stunned you about Rito Village as the last signs of winter faded was the pilgrimage of Rito from all regions. They were always dotting the sky if you were in Tabantha, and Rito Village was a major hub of trade and travel. But towards the beginning of spring, the small dots gave way to a kaleidoscope of feather colors, chaotically shifting and reordering itself every single minute. 

The color also extended to every part of town as the coming spring festival decorations were being put up. At the feet of the statue of The Goddess, the pile of flower offerings were particularly stunning, not to mention an excellent natural perfume. It was customary for every visitor to leave one as they came in, and if at all possible from the visitor’s home. 

Far from the only smell, or sight for that matter, the increase in visitors also meant an increase in sales for the local restaurants and eateries. Just about every cooking pot outside a regular hut would constantly have a column of smoke rising to the top and advertising to the new-comers what was coming fresh out of the fire. Whether it was nutcake, steamed fish or a fragrant portion of sautéd mushrooms, the competition was harsh.

Yet, none of this is what would impress Revali. He’d always much prefered seeing the Rito Sky Patrol, tirelessly working to keep the roads connecting Tabantha free of monsters and wild beasts. Whether it is seeing them doing training exercises as they refine their flying techniques, shooting an arrow with great precision from a distance or even from the sky, or masterfully cornering and wearing down a mighty beast, the Sky Patrol always gave a good show.

“Hello?” asked a customer all of a sudden, pulling Revali out of his trance.

“Yes, pardon me,” he said as he shook his head and returned to the automated efficiency he was used to when dealing with customers. It wasn’t until his mother eventually came back with a meal from a local eatery that he tagged back out. They both quickly ate behind the counter before Revali got back to restocking and customer help duty. It was like that for a couple hours just before another burgundy Rito—that’d be his aunt Miza—came to tag in.

With the sun descending from the sky, but not quite dark yet, Revali and his mother both left the store, heading their separate ways. It was their unspoken agreement of sorts. If Revali was there by sundown eating dinner, she wouldn’t question where he went off to after the shift changed.

Heading for his preferred landing just east of the village, he had to push among these unusual seasonal crowds and as he reached his destination. He then spread his wings and felt the caress of the wind for just a moment before he took off. Hardly any other Rito was flying away from the village this time of year, so there was some maneuvering to do in order to progress. Yet, even as he weaved through the air, spinning and dodging other Rito, his flight was rather short. His destination was due east of Lake Totori, in a clearing just on top of the cliff that surrounded it.

Atop a rock was his friend Yaki, doing a routine checkup on his bow, and right next to him, his father Teri. They were strikingly similar in appearance: both Rito had white plumage and a beak of a bright yellow color, though you could still tell Yaki was younger. For starters, he had black and light grey patches on the back of his wings, not quite the snow-white of his father. Secondly, he was a little shorter than him, though still a decent amount taller than Revali. 

Another difference between Yaki and Teri was their attire. The former wore just a leather torso piece and over it two pieces of green cloth tied together at the shoulders. Meanwhile, Teri’s leather armor was proudly displayed without any cloth to cover it, and feather-like shoulder pads marked him as a warrior. More impressively, however, his metal chest piece that marked him specifically as a member of the Sky Patrol. 

It didn’t take long for the both of them to notice Revali, which they both greeted with a wave of their wing. Yaki gave a chipper “Hi!” at the sight, and smiled at the corner of his beak. Leaving behind his bow, he stood up as best he could and walked up to greet his friend. “Hey, so how was the store today? Can’t imagine the nightmare it must be dealing with the first wave of visitors.”

“I suppose it’s not too bad,” Revali responded. “It at least gave me an excuse to cut a conversation short. Can you believe that old crow Inali keeps prattling on and on about the past?”

Yaki snickered at the thought, turning back around towards his father as he and Revali talked. “Does  _ little Revali _ not wanna be reminded how much of a cutie he was? You’d prefer to be reminded of when you stole my bow?”

“Do you think I’d  _ forget _ ?” Revali dismissively said, as he took his seat on another rock right next to Yaki and his father. “Perhaps I should remind you of those pathetic first few lessons before I met my true mentor.”

“I wouldn’t say Yaki was entirely a bad mentor,” Teri pitched in, handing Revali his bow as he stood up from the rock. “He got you to shoot arrows at a reasonable distance, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, yeah, but enough of reminiscing,” Revali said, turning to Yaki. “What have YOU been up to? Have the guitar lessons paid off yet? Been getting many visits atop the spire as you sing your heart out, little lovebird?”

Yaki rolled his eyes, elbowing Revali. “I’ll remind Mr.  _ Can’t Sing a Single Note _ that you’re not going to get a girl without knowing a song or two.”

“Isn’t Rito Village the place ‘Where men are better warriors and the women are better singers?’” Revali retorted. “I’m just saying, I’d rather spend time honing the skill I can be the best at, rather than one where I know I won’t excel in. Besides, I’m cooped up in that store all day...”

The boys continued their talk as they did their routine weapon maintenance, joking and laughing until Teri saw they were done. The older Rito then stood up and called them to attention. For at least a couple minutes they stood up serious and completely alert as they were given the instructions for their exercise. The veneer, however, was quick to shatter as they began their stretches and then flew into the air.

Their first exercise was aerial moving target practice. Teri had quite the array of fruits to throw into the air, from hydromelons, to apples, and everything in between. The two boys were tasked with sniping down every last one of them. 

“That’ll be 11 now,” Revali bragged after they had been at it for a bit. “2 behind, huh? You sure you slept well?”

“As if you could’ve had better than my mid-afternoon nap,” retorted Yaki, aiming his arrow at the latest fruit thrown in the air. “You should seriously get an excuse for skipping work one of these days. The feeling of waking up all warm from a day under the sun is just great. Especially around now.”

Revali snickered at the admission of having taken a nap there. “I’m afraid I don’t think I’ll have the time now or ever to laze as much—” And with that an apple zipped right between the two, and Yaki had a chance to score an easy point as Revali bantered.

“Revali, Yaki can tell you all about his nap when you’re back on the ground!” chastised Teri, to which Yaki replied giving him a wave and a whistle as a way of saying thanks.

Next up in their training schedule was aerial acrobatics, Revali’s favorite. Zipping through the air and giving many skillful turns, Revali loved the feeling of the wind caressing his feathers. He particularly liked when it wrapped itself around him as he did a fast turn and how they rose then fell in sync with his motions. 

As they moved through the exercises and attempted the maneuvers, Revali made sure to add his own little spins and other fancy embellishments. He’d always loved seeing when the warriors loosened up a bit and acted more like sky dancers, and it filled him with a certain sense of pride for him to pull them off.

“Oh, hey, you’re doing those!” Yaki commented. “What a shame that you don’t want to become a sky dancer, just imagine the performances you could score.”

“And you’d make an excellent backup musician,” Revali said in a joking tone as he gave a graceful twirl in front of his friend. “What a pity we plan on remaining together, no?”

“Yeah, I  _ am _ excited to see you try to keep up with me,” Yaki said with a giggle, putting a voice much more like Revali’s.

“Come on, music boy, who’s on the lead right about now?” Revali retorted in full knowledge Yaki was about on par. It was a common occurrence for the official title of who was doing better to change from week to week. So far, the longest Revali managed to hold onto it had been about a moon.

As they kept bickering, chuckling and laughing all the way, Teri remained grounded, waiting until they came back down and realized he was no longer giving instructions. It took a couple of minutes, but they eventually came back down for an easy last item on their checkbox: ground archery with fixed targets. 

Their posture was perfect, the distances they could shoot exemplary, and above all, their aim spot on. Yet, Revali couldn’t shake up a feeling that conversation in the air sparked.

“Hey, Teri,” Revali said as he was aiming at one of the targets set up. “Do you think we could find time for extra training sessions? I’d like to make sure I have what it takes to enter the Sky Patrol and I feel I could—”

“I’ve told you before, Revali, don’t strain yourself too much,” the older Rito warrior said, approaching and putting a hand on his shoulder. “I know the Sky Patrol entrance examination is approaching, but you’re already training as much as you need.”

“But, will it be enough?” Revali asked, putting himself in position for the last shot he needed to take to complete the exercise. “I don’t want to miss it and have to work another year at my parents’ shop. What will they even think after I try for the first time and fail?”

“Revali, I know your parents can be a bit much,” he said as Revali released the arrow. He then beckoned Revali to walk with him, while signaling to his son to stay still. They both sat down side by side on the rocks from before. “You’re more than capable, trust me. And even if you don’t make it in one go, you will have a whole year to prepare. I owe you a lot for what you’ve done for Yaki, and more than that you’re my student. You think I’m going to let you down like that?”

“Sorry if I insulted you,” Revali said with a defeated sigh, looking down.

“You didn’t and even if you did you shouldn’t be,” Teri said to him, bringing Revali for a hug. The gesture of affection was rare so Revali took the chance to just lose himself in the feathers, enjoying the warmth. “If you need to, you can always stop by my home and we can talk some more. Just keep in mind, you know...” 

Revali nodded at that, still rejoicing in the warmth of the hug. Then Teri called to Yaki with a whistle, and once he came, they stood up and together they started their walk back home. The two of them talked as they ascended the stairs of the village. Teri, however, delayed on coming back home as to not give away that the three were together. If it was just two teens talking to each other, there was no suspicion there. But if the famous archer father of one of them seemed like he was with them—and perhaps more damingly seemed like he was regularly with them—it would be clear as day what they were doing.

Yaki and his father lived on the higher levels of the spire, but Revali made his home not too far from the store in one of the intermediary levels. After Yaki dropped Revali off at the door, he headed above in a rush. The sun was minutes away from hiding, and everyone around Rito Village knew that meant dinner. Much like every day, Revali’s parents were hunched over with abacuses and a sort of checkerboard mat—an exchequer they called it—where they did math and discussed all the store business.

Just like every night, Revali headed for the pot of whatever stew or soup his mother had picked up from a local eatery and helped himself to some. Sitting by the table though, he had an odd break in the routine.

“Revali,” his father—a sky-blue Rito by the name of Kylla—started. He spoke with a voice whose tone always seemed somewhat accusatory. “I think it is about time you join our discussions, don’t you think?”

“Do I really need to? I’m pretty sure I can act one out perfectly just from watching you two,” he said in a dismissive tone. Rare of him, in front of his parents. But with how little he talked to them just about any tone would be rare. His mother rolled his eyes and his father simply kept his squarely on him. “Not like I have much to add anyway...”

“Isn’t that kind of a problem?” piped up his mother. “It always feels like you’re not putting your all into it. Like you’re only dragging your feet as you go through the motions. That’s no way to run a business.”

Revali simply sighed as he ate his soup, hoping this conversation could be moved forward soon. “So,  _ father _ ,” he said, stressing that last word as much as he could. “I presume the sales are going just as expected? I couldn’t feel more overworked, which I suppose is how it’s supposed to be.”

“Quite, son,” he replied. Revali gave no followup, thinking his contribution over and done with. And after a few moments of silence, Kylla spoke up again. “I have business partners from all regions coming over for the festival and I thought it’d be a prime opportunity for us to discuss our strategy for the following year. I want you to be by my side and get to know them better.”

“I already know them from our travels together,” Revali spoke up after swallowing a sip he took from his soup. 

Yaki would always ask him about all the cool things he saw on his travels. Whether he’d told him he’d been among the jungles of Faron or in Castle Town. Being that The Migratory Bird dealt mostly in imports into Tabantha, there were always places to travel and business associates to meet. At least one week every moon was dedicated to that.

“You’re acquaintances and you’re going to need more than that,” Revali’s father said. “I think I’ll pull you away from your duties with your mother and we’ll work together on other things. It is about time you build your own relationships with my clients.”

“Fine,” Revali said, as he finished his bowl. He then put it in the wash pile and headed for bed.


	2. Into the World of Business

If Revali thought that being his mother’s little store assistant was a drag, he was in for a rude awakening once he entered the world of business meetings. Throughout all the talk about rupees and trade routes and supplies and harvests and seasons and all the rest he couldn’t help but just stare and tune out. If he’d put in just a little bit more effort, he could probably find meaning in those words, sure. And he’d overheard some of this stuff before while on the road with his father, so he knew whether something was good or bad for business. Yet, he just couldn’t muster the energy to care about it.

Without fail, they all took notice of him, commenting on how he seemed just about grown up. And all of them would also add something to the effect of “Were it not for those cheek marks, I’d almost think you’re old enough to run the business. Well, those and your height...” 

Revali always huffed at that, the only emotional reaction anyone would get out of him all meeting long. Sure, he was a tad short, but at 17 years of age he still had time for one last growth spurt. From other Rito he knew his age, (that is to say, mostly just Yaki and a couple regulars at the shop) he knew he wasn’t all  _ that  _ much shorter than them.

With all the talk and talk and just endless amounts of talk, those meetings were certainly brain-melting. Revali had to hate the bonding questions the most. This had been part of his dad’s plan of course, but with barely a day of anticipation, he’d been woefully unprepared for all of them. 

“What hobbies do you have?” 

“Are you more of a traveller, or do you think you’ll stay back?”

“Do you have any big plans for the family business for when you’re in charge?” 

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

At each and every one of them Revali just rolled his eyes. As if he had the time to really think about such things... 

“None,” he’d reply. 

“Stay back.” 

“No.” 

“ _ No. _ ” 

All these and more, delivered with a completely unfazed expression as he sat there, making bare minimum eye contact. That tended to be enough to make them drop the subject and get back to productive business. He could feel his father glaring at him from his own seat. It was the intended purpose of the visit, but Revali just couldn’t bring himself to care all that much.

The worst business partner was this one lady from Central Hyrule who brought up all her memories of Revali. She blabbered about how cute he used to be as a little fledgling. She reminisced about how he would spend his days at the stable where they used to meet just looking into the distance. She commented that he was unusually attached to home for a Rito and how he’d better get himself a traveler woman.

“I don’t know what use he’d have of a traveling wife,” his father spoke up at that last observation. “A merchant is nothing without his connections, and _ that’s _ why I brought him here. It’d be a disgrace if he were to toss all this away for a misguided attachment to this pile of dead trees,” he said, tapping his talons to the wood structure of the restaurant they had convened in to talk. It was accompanied by a glare to Revali, which the young Rito dismissed.

Meeting after meeting, he and his father hopped from meeting place to meeting place. It was more often than not restaurants where Revali and his father ate fairly lightly, just enough to make it to the next meeting. It all began to blend in Revali’s head. But mercifully, it was about to be over, or at least so Revali thought. 

Revali looked up at the sky and noticed the sun’s position. It was about time the shifts changed at the shop. Revali and his father were walking the stairs of Rito village, and as soon as he noticed, he changed course. It wasn’t very far to a takeoff platform, thank Hylia. Taking advantage of the crowds so typical of this time of year, he slipped away from his father and mixed into the anonymous blob. 

As he arrived at the platform, he took a minute to stretch and feel the currents. Even just the feeling of the wind blowing on his feathers was a much welcome taste of freedom. He then took off and headed for the clearing where he and Yaki trained, savoring the feeling of the updrafts and tailwind as he planed down more than flew. 

Yaki was looking up at the sky much more than focusing on bow maintenance, a spark on his eye appearing as he noticed the figure of his navy-blue friend coming towards him. “Hey there!” Yaki said as he walked up to Revali. “I went by the shop today and I didn’t see you. Dad thought you were sick and skipped a day, are you alright?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Revali said nonchalantly as he retrieved his bow. “It’s my father as always. This time around he wanted to show me off to all his business partners. It’s a form of torture on its own, just hearing them drone and drone about all their nonsense...”

“Now?” Yaki said with a groan. “Way to pick a bad time to distract you with all that. But on the bright side, this should be the last week you put up with it!”

“I suppose,” Revali said with a sigh, as he started his stretches before he began with practice. “I’ve been waiting for this week a long time, I must not let it drag me down.”

“That’s the spit,” said Teri, as he put the finishing touches on the training exercise. “Now let’s put it to practice, my soon-to-be warriors. I’ve prepared a mock-up of the test based on when I took it. The actual course has not been revealed yet, though they should be beginning its construction right about now.”

He then picked up a wooden tablet and a carving knife into his hands. “I’ll be grading you as if I were a judge of the actual test, which means your performance will be determined by 3 areas: stationary archery, aerial maneuvers, and aerial moving targets accuracy. Those last two are graded the most heavily. However, while a regular Rito warrior can be accepted with only a good grade on the first, a Sky Patrol has to have all three, understood?”

“Yes sir!” Revali and Yaki replied in unison.

“Great energy so far, you two!” Teri said with feathery thumbs up. “Now, show me what I’ve been teaching you these past 10 years.” With that, Teri climbed onto his prefered rock to observe, while his pupils took their positions for the first challenge. 

“And... begin!”

For something improvised with some paint and old targets, the course was fairly elaborate. The stationary archery round mostly asked them to prove their accuracy, which was child’s play. 10 targets were set for each of them, and it took mere seconds for every single one to have an arrow stuck to them dead center.

The next trial had them following a path marked on the floor, with little icons of maneuvers to perform painted on the signs hung up on the trees alongside the path. There the needles of the trees acted as natural obstacles. With Revali to the right and Yaki to the left, they had begun racing each other. Neither got more than a couple feet of a lead before the other caught up. By the end, both had managed to finish about on par. 

Revali’s flair for the dramatic wasn’t all that well suited for the situation, and in trying to add just a pinch of his style, he got a fair few of the needles stuck to his plumage. Yaki’s somewhat more rigid yet still fluid movements, especially as he gave turns gave him somewhat of an edge there. Yet where it really mattered, that is to say the technique of the specific maneuvers they were asked to do, they both demonstrated excellent form.

Teri had followed on the ground beginning with the flying phase, noting it all down. It was slower than flying for sure, but easier to stop to write like that. Thus there was a bit of a delay with Yaki and Revali getting in place for the last test With the use of octoballons and his fruit throwing skills, he simulated the aerial objectives they would have to knock down. Once again, Revali and Yaki tied.

“Very good job, you two!” Teri congratulated them, offering two bowls of water he’d set aside the supplies for the test for this final part. The two teens eagerly took them and started drinking. “I won’t be telling you whether you passed or not. That’ll be for you to figure out when I tally up your results and compare your progress over the week. Now, rest well and prepare for another of these tomorrow.”

The two of them nodded and with that headed off. It was somewhat earlier than usual for them to finish, but they felt as tired as if it was a full session. With Rito Village coming closer and closer, they chatted on their way there, soon coming face to face with none other than Revali’s father, shouting his name across all the spire. 

“There you are!” he said, taking his son’s wing forcefully as he brought him closer. “I don’t know, nor care, what you have been doing or what you usually do with your mother, but you WILL be by my side for the meetings and that’s final! You little nuisance, not only do you make a bad impression on my clients but you also disrupt my whole meeting schedule as I go look for you...”

“Hey!” Revali said as he struggled to resist his father’s grasp, rather easily breaking free. “That is my free time. I’m not going to allow you to dig into it for more of your meetings!”

“I decide when it’s your free time and you’re having none until the festival!” his father said. “Maybe you’ll get even less afterwards. You should really be thinking of the bigger picture but instead you’re off doing Hylia knows what, Hylia knows where!”

“You act as if I can’t decide for myself where I go, I’ve been doing it for forever!” Revali protested as he climbed up the stairs and pushed past the crowd.

By this time Revali’s father had shut up, the eyes of the crowd squarely on Revali for his shouting and scene making. It wasn’t until they had come home that Revali’s father spoke up again. “Well that was probably your mother’s greatest mistake ever! Now you are going to help me with the accounting for the night and you aren’t going to sleep until WE do!”

And with that, the agenda for the night was set. Revali sighed as he endured the boredom and helped do the math for the accounting and move the pieces on the exchequer and abacus. It was a night that ran on long and left him limping to bed quite a few hours too late for his usual. If Revali hadn’t hated his father and hated his expectations enough by that point, he certainly did now...


	3. Family Lost and Family Found

Another day, another round of unbearable meetings, now with his father having all of his attention on Revali. He’d been forced to respond to questions with more than single word responses, to feign interest in the small talk, to ask follow up questions on stuff that had come up in the conversation. Yet the one thing his father could never force him to do, for as far as he knew it was entirely true, was to speak up about himself in more interesting terms than: “I just work day in and day out at the shop.”

Sure he’d been asked about what he did when he was not on shift, a thing his father for sure would have taken an interest in. With the urgency with which he’d run off the day prior it would also certainly clear up a recent enigma. Yet, it was all for naught for the best answer anyone would get out of him would be, “I just enjoy killing some time in the forest. That’s as interesting as it gets.”

While most of his father’s partners left the meeting with an arguably positive impression of Revali, as he seemed to be dedicated to his father’s business pretty thoroughly, it also made it difficult to find things to bond over. His father wasn’t exactly a social butterfly himself, it was no secret he spent his time immersed in his checkbooks and counting instruments and all the rest. Yet, his travel experience could be a really useful cover for a hobby. “There’s this story from the Akkala region about a mysterious merchant that appears only at night...” or “I always did wonder what those ruins up the Dracozu River were for” were some of his go-to.

He painted himself as an adventurer and his choice of career as a means to let him earn an income while doing what he loves. _‘What a load of crap,’_ Revali thought, recalling his actual experiences with his father. Always at the front of the caravan, he always stood with a map, going through the path exactly as directed. He was insistent on making notes and updating his calculations on estimated arrival time at every turn.

True enough when they stopped at a campfire he was attentive to the stories others told. Yet, it was mostly for situations like this. Revali remembered his father reciting some of the local area facts he’d write down in his notebook with intent to memorize them every night. It had always driven him completely nuts hearing his father droning on and on while he tried to sleep.

And so the meetings persisted. It was late in the day when Revali and his father were heading home. His father still gave him a stink eye because of his uninteresting response, almost saying to him “Lie if you have to, but stop embarrassing me for once!” He felt a small satisfaction inside his chest for having done that, he was not going to lie…

As they passed the many places on their way up the village, Revali noticed one of the platforms had been taken up a table where two Rito warriors in full attire were sitting. They were dealing with the last of a queue and they seemed to be antsy to return home. They clicked their talons against the wood as if keeping track of the seconds. The realization then struck Revali of who these were. Sign ups for the festival’s warrior examination must have begun today.

Immediately running away from the watchful eye of his father, Revali headed there. Once again the crowds worked to his advantage, letting him get lost rather easily, until his father noticed he didn’t feel the grasp of Revali’s wing all of a sudden... 

“HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!” shouted Kylla when he noticed his son rushing to the table. “REVALI, STOP THAT THIS SECOND!” The noise certainly got him a couple looks as he tried to catch up with him among the crowds.

As Revali finally made his way, the last person on the queue had just finished. “Well that’s a surprise,” the warriors said upon seeing Revali. “Never thought the red-cheeked store clerk would be up for participating. Do you think your dear old dad would buy the competition for you?”

“Just sign me up,” Revali insisted, looking back and forth between the table and his father.

“Very well,” the registrar said as he took his carving knife and the wooden tablet where he wrote the names. “I just need your name, age, your parentage, and a feather to help us verify your identity on the day of the competition. It’s just a formality of course, who could not know you’re a local? But protocol is protocol.”

Revali quickly plucked it as he slammed it on the table. “I am Revali. I’m 17 years old and my parents are Kylla and Otami the owners of The Migratory Bird.” His father was almost done trekking through the crowd as they dutifully completed the record. By the time he reached Revali, the registrar was already standing up and vacating, putting his wooden record tablets on a knapsack he carried by his side.

“Revali, what was that?!” his father shouted. “Do you realize what you have committed yourself to?! You want to embarass me further?!”

“I do realize, thank you very much,” Revali said as he turned his back away from his father. “I won’t embarrass you, not that I think I could any further by this point...”

“You don’t even have archery training!” his father shouted. “No way I’m going to let you participate and flounder right before my business partners! You’ll have to stay at home for the duration of the festival. Knowing the elder, he will force you to participate now that you’ve made your foolish choice...”

“Excuse me,” Revali said, turning around and looking his father in the eye. “I am well aware of what I signed up to and I fully intend to follow through! It is my right to participate and mark my words: I AM going to join the Sky Patrol.”

Revali’s father gave a sigh as he took his son’s wing. “NO you are not! It’s some childish fantasy you’ve developed in the last minute. You will return home and we can continue with your training to inherit the shop! That’s all you know, that’s all I ever raised you to do. This. Is. Final.”

Revali freed himself from his grasp rather easily as he ran away in the opposite direction to where his father wanted to take him. Though the darkness of the night was beginning to set, and thus his eyes couldn’t see very well, the light being lit in the huts as Rito gathered for dinner provided him a foggy yet distinct enough vision. "YES I am! Consider yourself sonless from this moment on! May Hylia never allow you to find anyone foolish enough to apprentice under you two!”

And with that Revali took to the skies and flew upwards, his already foggy vision only worsening by the second. As he ascended, his eyes began to frantically dart around, trying to figure out where Yaki’s home was. It was a stroke of luck that Yaki was seated with his back to the window, so Revali could more clearly see the back of his wing and recognize that unmistakable patchwork of feathers. Seeing his figure hovering outside the window, Yaki’s mother’s eyes went wide yet she had barely any time to react as he dove headfirst through that window, stumbling in and crashing onto his friend’s back.

“Ah!” he exclaimed as he felt the Rito crashing into him. He turned his head around, his feathers standing up from the fright. “Oh, Revali,” he said as he patted down his feathers.

“That’s an... unusual way of visiting,” Yaki’s mother—a light green Rito by the name of Tori—commented. “I wasn’t aware we would be expecting you. I did always want to meet you, but this isn’t exactly how I imagined your first visit would go.” 

“Uh...” Yaki said as he turned to his father, a puzzled expression in his eyes as Revali adjusted. “Did you—”

“I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” Revali said as he put his own feathers in order, standing up without taking a seat. “I just... I didn’t know where else to go. I had an argument with my father. After what I said, I don’t think I can go back to him.”

Teri nodded, swallowing as he shifted his eyes towards Revali. “Is it related to the reason you couldn’t get to practice?”

Tori prepared a new serving for Revali with the leftovers they had after the first serving and the whole table moved around to give him a space at it. Revali took his place rather awkwardly, placing himself in between Yaki and Teri as he shuffled his way in. “Well, it’s related but it’s not the cause of why I couldn’t come to practice. I’m really sorry about that...”

“Now don’t be,” Teri said as he put a wing on Revali’s shoulder. “Did you reveal the secret? Did he throw you out?”

“No, that’s not it...” Revali said as he turned to see his dinner served right in front of him, Tori’s smile, half apologetic due to what little she had to work with for his dinner, igniting inside him a warmth that he’d never seen from his mother. “It’s those meetings again. After dragging me around all day for them, I encountered the sign ups for the Sky Patrol exam just as they were closing and I signed up in front of him.”

“Well, what’s the big deal? You signed up, you signed up, it’s now your duty to show up. Even your father must know that,” Yaki said.

“If he had his way, I’d spend the whole festival hidden precisely because of that,” Revali said as he began to eat. It was a bit hard finding the words. His father was a complete and total jerk, he didn’t want to have him for a family. Yet, it was because of him that he had food and shelter. It was just hard to process, how this one moment of teenage foolhardiness had in one fell swoop erased it all. “Well, I told him that he could consider himself sonless. If I hadn’t ticked him off enough before, this might have done it...”

“You disinherited yourself?!” Yaki said after swallowing rather abruptly. “Did... did you really need to go this far?”

“Maybe, maybe not...” Revali said with a sigh as he contemplated his plate. “I certainly don’t like them being my parents and forcing me through the motions of having to inherit that stupid shop. But at the same time, I don’t know what to do now... I came here because I thought I could ask you to spend the night but I’m not sure where I’m going to go next.”

“Revali, you don’t need to go anywhere else next,” Teri said. “I can give you a house for as long as you need. Your parents might have good intentions, but if you don’t want to follow the path they set out for you, you should be able to do it.”

“Thanks,” Revali said as he relaxed, letting himself be embraced by Teri who enveloped him in his soft, snow-white feathers. Revali let out a couple tears he’d been holding back until now. These were tears not of joy, not of sadness, but of relief as the load he’d been feeling right up to that moment seemed to evaporate. It was nice being hugged like this, it reminded him of his fledglinghood and the fleeting moments where his mother had taken her eyes off the business for five minutes to just give that to him. Revali never noticed how much he needed this until now.

“You know, I always thought of you a little like my second son,” Teri said as he hugged Revali. “It might seem a little... silly of a notion, considering this is the first time you’re at home with me. But I saw you grow up, I taught you a lot of what I knew, I worried about your future and I saw you pull many stunts with my son.” As he said it, he caressed Revali’s cheek spots, looking at them with nostalgia as he remembered that little fledgling who Yaki brought to him.

“Well, you know me much better than my real father, Dad,” Revali said, clearing the last of his tears as he sat right back up and began eating. The whole table was left wide eyed as they stared at him. Looking at their reaction, Revali could only muster a terse response, “What? I’m going to need a new family, aren’t I? And you've already offered me to let me stay. It only seemed natural to me...” As he realized what he just said, Revali began to grow hot of embarrassment under his plumage. “Ah, am I getting ahead of—”

Revali’s train of thought was interrupted as Yaki hugged him from the side. “Come here, little bro.”

The fluffing of Revali’s feathers was uncontrollable by now and his body temperature could almost be mistaken for a fever. “HEY, HEY, HEY, WHO SAID ANYTHING OF LITTLE BRO?! LET ME REMIND YOU I AM TWO MOONS OLDER!”

“But who’s the one who’s still got his cute little cheek spots, eh?” Yaki said, tightening the hug, and enjoying the free warmth from Revali’s embarrassment. He had yet to give it back, but it wouldn’t take too long for his pride to crack and for him to return it. The heat was still there but as time went on the embarrassment passed to just a nice and genuine sense of joy.

“You don’t have your full adult coloration yet either, let me remind you,” Revali retorted with a huff as he partook in the hug. “Besides, what’s bigger? My cheek marks or those patches of yours?”

“Ah, but who’s the taller one?” Yaki continued teasing. It went off for a while but as they broke it off, Tori took her own chance to hug her new son. With their attention turned to the navy-blue Rito the rest of dinner was spent mostly in reminiscing and catching Tori up. 

Revali felt an odd feeling throughout that conversation. A feeling of warmth that burned inside his chest, a feeling of ease, a feeling of wanting to participate in the conversation. It was a feeling he’d never felt before at dinner. He could get used to it, he thought. That night as Revali climbed onto the extra hammock, usually reserved for guests, hung up for him as it was usually reserved for guests, he felt an oddly pleasant insomnia. He just couldn’t help but dwell on that feeling, treasuring the fading feeling of warmth and reliving it in this memory he vowed to keep forever.


	4. The Big Day

Over the next couple of days, Revali had the busiest as well as the easiest days he’d ever had. His mornings and afternoons became filled with naps alongside Yaki atop the spire and impromptu singing sessions. For once he could enjoy exploring the outdoors and fly freely during the hours of the day. Or, well, as freely as you can manage with such a crowded sky, anyway... Regardless, it was still immensely more freedom than ever before. 

There was some business with the elder to sort out as the adoption became official and there was also time of loneliness as Yaki flew to his guitar lessons. Yet, Revali didn’t mind, the joy of those mornings managed to pull him along all day regardless of what came after. Especially in his training sessions, it was that renewed joy that managed to mute that sinking feeling in his stomach as the days ticked on and on.

And eventually, of course, the day finally came. With the festival of Hylia, Bringer of Spring, in full swing, the kaleidoscope of feather colors moved from the sky to the ground. Music abounded as Rito musicians, dancers, bards, and actors set up their shows all around the spire, making every landing, and even the sky itself, a stage. The flowers, so diligently offered at the feet of The Goddess, found their use in flower crowns free for anyone to take and wreaths hung across doorways.

Food was also of note with the smells coming from every cooking pot and the smoke rising in pleasant columns. More than ever before it was a time for sizzling pans and fried dishes. And of course it was a time for honeyed and candied fruits. And above all, the festivities were punctuated by all sorts of aerial performances. Whether it was sky acrobats all on their own, or dancing crews in perfect sync, it was a merrymaking that would certainly delight Hylia.

Delight as it may a goddess though, Revali had only a single thought in his mind. Having woken up just as the sun peeked through the horizon, he made sure to stretch first thing in the morning. As breakfast was being served, he kept a stoic face as he reviewed in his mind everything he’d learned, going throught the motions of his usual routine in his head. That left Yaki and his family to chat amongst themselves without his intervention.

Once he finished eating, Revali reached out to his bow as he prepared to leave, examining it as he turned it in his hands. His eye for defects was particularly sharp that morning, not wanting one single thing to go wrong. As he felt the smooth wood on his wing and sought imperfections again and again, he began to lose himself in his observations.

“Revali, are you nervous?” asked Yaki from behind, breaking his brother’s focus as he picked up both his guitar and bow, taking the first on his wings as he strapped the second to his back.

“How could I not be?” Revali said, breaking his silence. “This is the payoff to that decision your— I mean, Dad made 10 years ago. And I suspect to an extent the payoff to the decision from a couple days back too... It will be in the field that we’ll see if his time was all worth it.”

“I don’t doubt your skill for a second, but don’t think like that,” Yaki replied. “We still met didn’t we? And haven’t you paid attention to how Dad compliments you every training session? Or the attention Mom gives to you when we tell her about how training went? I’m sure they enjoy it and that probably is just enough for them.”

“Still, it’s an awful lot of time to put into something,” Revali said with a sigh. “And it’s all going to come to an end today. And we won’t know until it’s over what the future will hold. We could end up being part of the Sky Patrol together. Maybe neither will get in. Maybe only one will get in, and in that case it’s probably going to be you. That is honestly the future I fear the most...”

“Whatever happens,” Yaki said as he came closer, bringing Revali in for a hug as he comforted his brother, the warmth of their hug spreading over the two of them. This time Revali was quicker to reciprocate, the many days of affection clearly catching up to him by now. “We are family now, and no one can change that. We will still come back to our same house and spend the festival celebrating with our parents. And I promise, even if life takes us on different paths, I will still be there for you and we can be dear friends and brothers.”

With that they broke the hug and Revali gave a deep breath as he exited the house and looked towards the sky. “Well then, about time we headed out. The exam isn’t until noon so we have plenty of time to kill. Want to go practice one last time?”

“Or how about you have some fun?” Yaki said instead, taking Revali’s wing. “You need to get your mind off it for a little bit. Don’t want you to overthink and do poorly.” 

And with that Yaki took Revali out for a look around at the performers. Their choices were many, from a skillful air dancing routine involving ribbons to a play recounting how Hylia brought her blessings to Tabantha and created the Rito to something simpler such as singing the traditional songs of the season. Yaki himself ended up playing a couple tunes on his guitar as they passed, gathering a bit of a crowd which the white Rito entertained for a bit. He knew quite a few of the traditional songs of the season from “Oh Sun, Oh Sun, Warm My Feathers” to “Farewell, Lady Snow”. 

“Still not too late to go hide, music boy~” Revali teased, to which Yaki only elbowed him gently. As the small crowd dispersed with him stopping to play, Yaki headed for the food stands, taking in the aromas and sights of the festival. They both abstained from the food vendors for now, but eyed quite a few for them to return to later. Yaki was right in that it helped Revali not overthink things.

As noon approached, the pair heard the call to the warriors, a shrill sound coming from a traditional Rito horn. It’s sound echoed for a fairly large area, calling to attention everyone who was going to participate in the test. As they made their way there, Yaki took a detour as he searched for his parents in the crowd to leave his guitar. Revali was thus left alone to do his stretches.The locals he could recognize in the audience, blended in with the many Rito from other corners of Hyrule, all seemed to be whispering among themselves upon seeing him enter.

Most other contestants were sons of Sky Patrol members, expected to carry on the tradition of their forebears. He, however, not having that background and never being seen practicing before was a novelty. Win or lose, certainly Revali would be the talk of the town. The adoption hadn’t been quite publicly announced yet, so that certainly would seep into the rumors eventually and there would be something more to talk about.

“Attention, candidates!” called the warrior who was overseeing the test. He had a bundle of wood tablets with the sign up information as well as the feathers they had given for identification. “The exam is about to begin. As soon as I call your name you will come to the front. First of all: Yaki, son of Teri and Tori!”

No wonder he’d been first, he probably had a contact that could tell him when the signups were going to happen... And as such the list went by. Revali expected to be called out much earlier but his name came up dead last. “Revali... son of Teri and Tori?” Revali came up to the front, another round of whispering among the locals ensuing. Well, he knew when these rumors were going to enter the common knowledge... “This can’t be right, you’re the son of Kylla and Otami, those two merchants! Why was your initial sign up scratched out and replaced with this in our registry? And why was it replaced by those names?”

“I…” Revali began as he took a deep breath, inflating his chest with faux confidence. “I am not their son anymore.” Of the locals in the crowd, he could see them all go into another round of whispering. “They opposed my sign up and in turn I refused to be their son. I am now the son of Teri and Tori, and the brother of Yaki.”

“He’s correct, you should have been informed!” shouted the elder from his place of honor at the ceremony. “Oh my, I really should have been more careful with that...”

The Rito warrior huffed at that, giving a cough as he composed himself. “Very well, if the elder says it’s not a mistake…” With that he did the formality of the plumage color checkup and Revali returned to his place among the others. “Competitors, the test before you is divided into three stages...” 

Revali could already see the course was very similar to what Teri had prepared for them before, if longer and more elaborate. Instead of relying on trees as natural obstacles, there were more elaborate ones carved out of wood. Instead of the crude signs telling them which maneuvers to perform, there were watchtowers with people to indicate that. And instead of fruit and other objects held aloft by octoballons there were live animals they could shoot at.

“GO!” said the instructor and immediately the race was on. The first arrow he nocked into his bow in the stationary archery section took him far longer than his usual, the nerves making his muscles tense and his conscious mind extremely aware. As he hit his first target straight in the center, his mind turned to the crowd. That had taken up a lot of energy of him and the reaction was unusual to say the least.

Up to that point, everyone had been cheering for all sorts of other candidates. But suddenly they stared in silence upon seeing what Revali had done, then erupted into near unisonous cheers for him. Of them all only Yaki measured up, and there were a couple who came close to their accuracy. Yet that was rather mundane. To the spectators, Revali had just revealed that he hadn’t merely been an overly proud nobody, but rather a born master who had up to that point been merely hiding.

That praise was perhaps the best thing ever for Revali. The tension of his muscles was relieved, his mind was able to better automate his movements, and above all he was able to push his doubts away. For the whole of the crowd to be cheering for a nobody like him... They might not be the judges, but it felt just as validating.

As the test continued, the enthusiasm for Revali kept going strong. The second phase was as much a race as it was a demonstration of aerial capabilities. Yaki took off firsty, that delay on the first arrow having cost Revali the lead, though he still went in a respectable second. It was followed shortly thereafter by about a dozen others and with a couple dozen more left behind. 

Revali was quick to close the lead Yaki had on him. His maneuvers were precise, his posture impeccable, his agility enviable. He was thoroughly stealing the show. Though his focus was now split, as praise continued he kept doing better. His movements became more graceful. His speed increased. His actions felt more effortless. 

It was that confidence that finally pulled him through as he approached the last test. And what a great sight he had as he came to the clearing that held it, his parents, both his real ones and his blood family, were there observing. It was that second one that held his attention the most. They weren’t cheering but it was the next best reaction he could’ve hoped for: pure wide-eyed shock. As he savored that face, Revali made a point of flying close to the crowd and have a better, closer look at them, the edge of his beak in a smug grin.

And like that, he shot back up into the sky where he shot his objectives one after another with great precision. It was like a dance, it was like any other performance of the festival, it was a highly complex pattern he flew in as he shot down targets and accumulated points. Once again, he and Yaki were toe to toe in their scores but there was a certain flair with which Revali did it that earned him loads of attention far above what he’d already gotten from showing himself to be more than a nobody.

Revali came back to the ground as soon as the exam was called complete, and an eruption of cheers came to him. It would take a while for the results to be fully calculated but everyone already had an idea of who the next Sky Patrols would be. With all that attention, it wasn’t a shock that rather than rejoining his family, Revali would spend the rest of the day getting swarmed by the crowds.

Coming to rest to the stands with his parents, Yaki turned to his father and gave one big sigh. “I’m so glad he did it,” he mentioned, smiling as he saw his friend getting swept away by the masses. In that second Yaki couldn’t help but fantasize about the future. He’d have his own turn in the spotlight. He’d be the protagonist of many tales of his own just like his father had once told him. And above all, he’d keep up the competition with Revali and they wouldn’t be separated, just as he’d told him and just as he hoped deep inside it’d happen. 


	5. Life as a Sky Patrol

It had been a mere few weeks since both Yaki and Revali got accepted as Sky Patrols and things had already started to change. Yaki could see it in the show-off manner in which he flew when close to anyone from Rito Village. He could see it in his absence from the house in the time between coming back and dinner, often from staying back to talk to his admirers. And it wasn’t like he was really talkative at dinner as of late. He could see it in how he insisted on trying to take as many hits as possible on the Hebra monsters that they, as Sky Patrol members, were tasked to keep off the trade routes. He could see it when he did an impromptu demonstration to his fans upon spotting them.

Funny thing is, Yaki knew exactly how to stop this from getting to his head. He had the secret and Revali had no longer any reason to keep it that way. Some days, Yaki felt an immense urge to just scream it to the four winds in plain sight of the whole village. He wanted everyone to stop spreading that ridiculous story of Revali being this born prodigy, which he seemed to spread only for the sake of his fame. Yet, he didn’t have the courage to do it. Or rather, he felt he still owed it to Revali to keep that secret. Even though the old Revali would probably have corrected them right when the rumor started, it was not Yaki’s place to decide to divulge it. It was not a trust he was ready to shatter, just yet. And he wondered if he’d ever be ready.

What was certain though was that he had to confront him about it. So, one day Yaki decided to wait for Revali to finish with his little impromptu meetup upon landing. While the other Sky Patrol members scattered, having to pass through a crowd only that was unusual outside the festival season, Yaki remained right behind Revali. 

“Well, hello to my little flock,” Revali said, as he came closer to the crowd. He then greeted most of them individually and asked the name of the rest. Once that was done, he took the stage at the center of the platform and spoke, “Ready to hear of my exploits again?”

He spent about half the time or so they remained by his side telling them about the battle he had endured against a Moblin that day. He told the story with exaggerated wing motions and a boisterous voice which kept the youngest ones thoroughly entranced and prompted giggles among female fans about his age. While true that he was key in that victory and hence why he was allowed to keep the monster parts he showed off, he did have a tendency to underplay the role of his comrades.

The other half of the time he dedicated to this he mostly spent with the youngest ones among the crowd, particularly the ones with training bows in wing. He would ask all kinds of questions about how their training was going and what kind of things they could do. He recommended them exercises and warm up routines, and gave them his word of encouragement.

It took about half an hour for the crowd to disperse and by that time Revali turned back, seeing his brother right in front of him. “Oh, Yaki, good to see you,” he said plainly. “Dad has nothing to worry about, I’ll be back for dinner as usual.” With that, he headed for the edge of the platform but felt the tug of Yaki’s wing abruptly holding him.

“Wait, Revali... Can we talk for a bit? I need to discuss something,” he said, tightening his grip as he felt his brother struggle with it.

“I assure you, I’m perfectly fine,” he said, forcefully freeing himself from the grip and reaching the edge of the take-off platform. “If you need to know what I’m doing with my time, I’m keeping up my training. I suggest you do as well.”

“But Revali, isn’t the work we do every day already training enough? Especially for you, since you do all those acrobatics and shots others ask of you,” Yaki said, coming closer and grabbing Revali’s wing again just as he was about to jump.

“Perhaps you think that’s it,” Revali said, not turning around as he again struggled. “But I’m not satisfied just yet. I’m on the Sky Patrol, yes, but I could be doing so much more.”

“Like what?” Yaki asked, his voice starting to break, the tears barely contained. This was definitely not the Revali he knew. “What could be worth abandoning your family? Especially now that we just started bonding as one. I thought you were the one afraid we’d drift apart if we didn’t join together.”

“Yaki...” Revali said as he turned around, letting out a sigh. “...I suppose I never considered fully the expectations I’d be met with being a Sky Patrol. It’s not a bad life, but to keep it I must keep getting better. My sights are set on mastering a new technique as of now. That’ll secure my position for sure. I can probably take life just a little lighter after that.”

“Could you... Could you at least let me join you? Like the old times?” Yaki asked, his tears breaking out. What was Revali saying right now? How could he not know those stupid expectations were due to the rumor he was a prodigy? Did he even realize it would all evaporate the second he talked about his secret? Was the force of habit making him keep the secret that strong? Was he perhaps enjoying all this fame more than he’d care to admit?

“I’m afraid I have to do this alone,” Revali said, giving a sigh. “I have a reputation to uphold now and I don’t want my failure to squash the hope I’ve given these Rito. Don’t you think it’s a powerful story, that of a Rito whose destiny was never to be a warrior managing to—”

“You think I would tell anyone else?” Yaki said, suppressing his instinct to shout. “After all I have done to cover your secret for 10 years?”

“Well, keeping the secret is only one aspect of it,” Revali admitted with a sigh. By this time he was free of his brother’s grasp, ready to fly off any second he wanted. “Truth is, I think I could probably make more progress on my own. I treasure our friendship, but maybe Teri was right. Maybe we needed to be more serious from time to time. I’d rather not risk a distraction. I’m sorry, Yaki...”

And with that Revali shot into the sky as he headed for wherever the hell he trained now, leaving the white Rito kid, the one who had been his only friend, standing there, too shocked to follow. In an outburst of anger, Yaki loudly scratched his talons against the wood of the landing platform, cursing inside of himself. 

Where did it all go wrong? Was his mistake in not revealing the secret as soon as Revali wasn’t beholden to his father anymore? Was it in keeping silent these couple of weeks as Revali transformed? ...Or was it perhaps in showing kindness to that navy blue Rito kid in the first place? Was this always the inevitable outcome or could it have been different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much everyone for reading! I plan to keep writing more about these pair of friends both individually and as a group so if anyone has any ideas for stories or requests, you can drop them in the comment and I'll consider them. You can also contact me on Tumblr, I'm jaceladag over there as well.


End file.
